The Vancouver Canucks announced on Sunday that Nils Åman had been assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks after successfully clearing waivers. At the time, the move to place Åman on waivers was considered a gamble, as many teams in the NHL are currently dealing with injuries to their forward groups. Initially drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in 2020, the 24-year-old center has played four games so far this year and is currently in the first season of a two-year deal, which carries a cap hit of $825,000.
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While Åman has yet to establish himself as an everyday NHLer with Vancouver, he does have some intriguing traits that could have been useful to other teams. During his 115-game NHL career, he has proven to be an efficient penalty-killer and isn’t shy about playing a physical game. He can also produce some offence in the bottom six, with seven goals and 25 points through his first three seasons.
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According to Head Coach Rick Tocchet, the decision to send Åman to the AHL was to get him more playing time. After playing in the Canucks first game of the season, Åman has been a healthy scratch in six of the last nine and hasn’t played Since October 22, 2024. With Abbotsford currently on a California road trip, Åman could see action in both of the Canucks games this week as they face the San Diego Gulls on Sunday and the Ontario Reign on Wednesday.
As for Åman, he has had success at the AHL level during his career. In 15 games last season, he had 15 points, with Abbotsford outscoring the opposition 13-8 at even-strength. With a young roster that features high-end prospects in Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Aatu Räty, Åman should have no issues producing offensively once he gets into the AHL lineup.
